


Life of the King and the Duke

by Aurie



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ghosts, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurie/pseuds/Aurie
Summary: Landing the job of your dreams should be something to be happy about. But when he finds out he will be living alone at a haunted castle, he starts to question his life decisions.Lucky for him, things start looking up once the ghosts of Duke Felix and King Dimitri visit him, and he uncovers some of their secrets.Written for the 2020 Dimilix Holiday Exchange.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24
Collections: 2020 Dimilix Exchange





	Life of the King and the Duke

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saunatonttu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saunatonttu/gifts).



> The recipient of my gift was Aija. I hope you like this! ♡
> 
> Prompt I followed:  
> "Someone else's POV: Fhirdiad Castle is haunted. There are many ghosts, but the most intriguing ones are King Dimitri and his advisor."
> 
> I was so excited when I saw the prompts I got, they were all super inspiring but I really liked this one the most! Also many thanks to the event organizers who matched me so well with stuff I could write, and also were patient with me when I was slow! You guys are amazing!
> 
> The story starts with two unnamed characters, but later on it focuses on Dimitri and Felix only. In my head, I thought of the guy being a descendant of Ignatz and the girl a descendant of Annette. But I avoided being too descriptive so you can imagine them as whoever you like! 
> 
> Please enjoy!

The trip had been long and exhausting, the weather was terrible, and it was so dark he could barely see his own two hands in front of him. And yet as he stood right before the gate that gave access to Fhirdiad’s royal castle, he felt a rush of excitement as he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

He had been waiting for an opportunity like this for most of his life. He knew this would be a turning point in his career, the job that would finally earn him some recognition among his peers after years of hard work. He was ready to finally prove his worth.

He adjusted his glasses and checked his watch for the third time. He had arrived a little too early —maybe he was a bit overeager— and this meant he had been standing in the cold for quite a while already.

“Oh! There you are!”

A young woman suddenly came out of the shadows. She seemed to have run the whole way here, her face red and sweaty and her ponytail almost undone. 

“I’m so sorry! Have you been waiting long?”

“Ah. Not at all, please don’t worry.” He hoped that she wouldn’t notice his trembling legs. “Thanks for meeting me here at such an hour.”

“It’s definitely my pleasure! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, I’m a big fan of your work!”

She took out a flashlight from her purse, and as she turned it on he was able to take a better look at her. Her shoes were a little dirty —probably a result of her sprint up the road in the dark— but they looked expensive, and her outfit, an elegant dark grey suit, showed she had wanted to cause a good impression.

“We should go in, it’s way too cold out here! Please follow me.”

She rushed through the gates and along the paved path. He followed her closely, dragging his suitcase behind him and lamenting not having brought his own source of light. 

Soon enough the main building’s enormous facade appeared in front of them. It had definitely seen better times, but even after hundreds of years it was as majestic and imposing as it had been when it was just built. He looked up, admiring the tall, dark wooden doors that towered over him.

She ignored the main entrance and kept walking until they reached a smaller door. Probably the servant’s entrance, he thought. She pulled out a bunch of keys and opened it.

A long, dark corridor appeared before them, rows of doors at both sides. Most of them were closed, some of them just open enough to allow a peek at the adjacent rooms. However, her fast-paced walking did not give him much time to take in on the details. He could only notice that all the rooms were mostly empty, and devoid of any decorations.

She stopped almost at the end of the corridor and opened a door to the right. Unlike the rest, this room had some furniture: a bed, a dresser, a chair in front of a small fireplace.

“I know it's not much, but this is all we can do for now. There’s bigger rooms upstairs, of course, but we’re not really allowed to use them. I hope-”

“This is more than enough. Please rest assured, I will be comfortable in here.”

She exhaled loudly and seemed relieved. She pointed at a small door at the back of the room.

“There’s a small bathroom past that door you can use. However as you know this castle was pretty much abandoned for decades, and many things were not properly maintained... so there’s not actually… any proper, working plumbing so, uh…”

Well, maybe _comfortable_ wasn’t exactly the right word to describe this situation.

“… you can bring water from the well outside, and we made sure there’s enough available firewood to heat it, and for you to stay warm, of course! Although since we are not sure how long this will take it’s probably best if you like, not use it all up too quickly… and- oh! Goddess, look at the time! We should go see it already! I bet you’re super excited about it.”

And he was. At least until a few minutes ago; now he just felt a little dizzy, mostly at the thought of having to bring water _from an actual well_ in the unforgiving Faerghus winter. He was starting to regret his life decisions.

They went back to the main corridor, then past a different door, then past another one, and then up two flights of stairs, to reach another corridor. This one however, although still devoid of any decor, was considerably larger, both in width and height. At the end of it, he noticed a set of double doors made of solid wood. They were carved with details of plants, birds, and other nature motifs, its intricate details speaking of the obvious importance of the room behind them.

Stepping into the royal chambers was like traveling 800 years back in time. In contrast with the rest of the castle, this room was fully furnished. A king size canopy bed on the left wall, two armchairs on the right facing a sizable fireplace, a small table with a couple of chairs on the back wall, placed beside tall windows and equally tall double doors leading to a balcony. Other various smaller pieces of furniture, as well as rugs, curtains, pillows, and every other detail had been carefully arranged to make it look as if the room was currently being used by the king himself. 

It was obviously all staged for photographs and future tourist visits, but the reconstruction was impressive nonetheless. 

“Most of it are replicas of actual pieces we keep at the museum. Others were sadly lost in time, but we reconstructed them trying to respect the style of the time. Of course we can’t tell how this place really looked back then, but I think this is close enough, don’t you think?”

She laughed and excitedly listed pretty much every item in the room, she had obviously been very involved with the staging and she was proud of it.

She crossed the room and on the far left corner, he observed a small door that had gone unnoticed until now. She turned around to look at him. Her demeanor had completely changed, and she stood in front of him with a solemn expression.

“Ready?”

He nodded, and she opened the door.

Behind it was a small dark room with no windows, narrow enough that could probably better be classified as a corridor, with nothing more than another door at the opposite end of it. The room was completely empty, but he knew that its modesty actually hid one of the most valuable treasures this country had ever seen.

He suddenly found himself surrounded by complete darkness —she had turned off the flashlight— for what it felt like an eternity but probably were no more than a few minutes. Soon enough, she had lit two oil lamps on the right wall. Said wall was also completely empty except for the lamps, but he barely gave it a second look, his attention rapidly caught by the opposite wall.

The left wall was covered in its entirety by a beautifully painted mural, one of the most exquisite pieces of art he had ever seen, and the reason why he came here in the first place.

As an artist, this mural had always been his favorite. Even when he was no more than a child barely able to hold a pencil, he had admired the photographs of the mural he saw on the history and art books at his grandfather’s house. And later, as a restorator, having the opportunity to actually work on fixing it was a dream come true. He knew already that this would probably be the highlight of his career, the job they all would remember him for.

The mural was divided in four clear sections. The first one was the more colorful, but also the most damaged. Cracks and moisture patches covered all the lower part, but the main focus of the piece was thankfully well preserved. He took a step forward, and he finally was able to take a closer look at it.

Two children of around seven or eight years old sit on a flower field, surrounded by white flowers. The boy in the left has golden hair and bright blue eyes, and a flower crown sits on his head. His smile is wide and cheerful and his gaze is directed at his companion with evident fondness. The other boy’s expression is more reserved but equally affectionate, a small smile on his face and a faint blush on his cheeks. His dark hair is held on a high ponytail, and the carefully detailed tiny scratches on his fingers tell of who was the one who crafted the flower crown.

The second piece lacks the colorful and vitality the first one has, but it compensates it with dynamism. The two boys, now in their teens, face each other while standing in what’s been widely identified as the old training grounds at the historic Garreg Mach monastery. The obvious contrast between the blonde boy’s demeanor in both sections is striking. His smile is long gone and he wears a bleak expression. His dignified pose feels a little forced as he is holding a defensive stance, a wooden lance in his hands. 

Across him, his companion stares at him like a ild wolf about to jump on his prey. His face is contorted in rage and pain, his long dark hair flows freely over his shoulders, and he holds tightly onto a wooden sword that he points at his opponent's neck. 

He had seen photographs of the mural many times before, and had appreciated the talent of the brilliant man who had been able to convey so many emotions with his art. But seeing it in person still overwhelmed him and took his breath away.

Any hostility harbored between the two men has obviously diminished by the time of the scene depicted in the third section. Opposite of their previous stances, they now stand back to back, the chaos and devastation brought by war surrounding them. Their armors are painted with blood, and their hands firmly clung to their weapons as they fight side by side. A lance pierces an enemy’s chest. A shield blocks a rain of arrows.

The last piece is definitely less dramatic than the previous ones, but it’s the one that has raised more questions and sparked plenty of debate among both experts and the general public. It’s also his favorite. The two men are standing in front of what looks like a small stone chapel, and their smiles are the focus of the piece. The incredible way it conveys emotion it’s like nothing he has seen before, old or new, and by the lifelike quality of the painting, he suspects the artist must have witnessed this moment in person. They both wear elaborate matching outfits in Blaiddyd blue with silver details, and in their hands, matching rings so flawlessly painted that they still shine brightly even after all the centuries that have gone by.

“ _Life of the King and the Duke_ ”. Her words brought him back to reality, having almost forgotten about his surroundings and even about her presence in the room.

Depicting relevant stages in the life of King Dimitri and his advisor and lifelong partner, Duke Fraldarius, the obviously but appropriately titled _Life of the King and the Duke_ was one of the best conserved mural pieces in all of Fódlan, and its invaluable historical and artistic importance had made it widely popular since it was discovered half a century ago. It had been hidden away in this small room, a small passage between the royal chambers and a private garden, that had been blocked at some point hundreds of years ago and only rediscovered during restoration works.

It is said that the King commissioned it as a gift for the Duke on the 5th anniversary of the end of the war. It had taken the artist months to complete and had surely been even more stunning and impactful back then, but its existence was never made known to anyone besides the people closest to the King. Its private location meant it was only accessible to select individuals who would be allowed in and through the King’s private chambers. 

He was a bit stunned by the experience of examining the mural in person, but a voice inside his head kept telling him something wasn’t right.

“Why me?”

He turned around to face her.

“Wha-”

“This is… this is probably the most important fragment of history in our whole country. There are so many others who could probably do a much better job than me. Actually, I could give you a list, right now, of at least a dozen more experienced and capable people who could have been assigned to this instead of me, and that’s just in this city.” 

She was staring at him with a panicked expression and seemed unable to speak.

“Please do not misunderstand me. I really am thankful that you decided to call me, and I have thought of nothing but this job since that day. Also I assure you, I’m perfectly capable of bringing this job to completion with satisfactory results. But I also know that I’m not the most accomplished or experienced in this field so I just… don't understand why I was chosen.”

She hesitated for a second, taking a deep breath before replying.

“Well, actually… you were not the first person we contacted about this job. We did try to convince a few people before you, but they all refused our offers. A couple of them did accept and went as far as coming here, but they both quit after the first day and we could not convince them to come back.”

He could not understand why anyone would refuse an opportunity like this. Was it because of the living conditions? The castle was located on top of a hill, and while its surroundings were quite lively in the past, the city of Fhirdiad had been slowly shifting down to the valley in the past few centuries. It was not practical to travel the distance between the city and the castle everyday, so staying here was the most logical solution. 

“Why? Why would they all refuse to work here? It’s true that living here presents some inconveniences, but-”

“They said it’s haunted.”

_Huh?_

“The castle, they said… they said it’s haunted. That they saw the spirits of the dead walking around at night. Of course there’s always been legends about the supposed ghosts inhabiting this castle, everyone who’s lived in Fhirdiad long enough will have heard of those. I always thought them to be just silly horror tales parents told their children so they wouldn’t come up here to play and get hurt, and when many other experts refused to work here because of those rumors, I thought they were being ridiculous. But you must admit that it’s really strange that so many people ran away from this place in pure terror, and will absolutely refuse to come back under any circumstance!”

From all the things he had expected to hear today, this definitely wasn’t it. He was admittedly quite skeptical on these matters, and did not believe in anything supernatural, so this all sounded like a big joke to him.

“You’ve visited the castle often, right? By your comments earlier, you seem to have worked hard on the royal chamber’s renovations.”

“Yes! I’ve been coming up here at least twice a week for the past year.”

And she still chose to climb the hill by foot. That surely was dedication.

“And during all that time, did you ever see a spirit?”

“Well… no. No I haven’t seen anything of the sorts”.

“Then as you thought, it's likely to be just a rumor, and it’s to be expected that I won’t see any, either. Besides, I am not afraid of ghosts. Please don’t worry about me. I will be fine”.

He tried to reassure her with a smile, but he wondered if she could tell he was just holding back some slight anger. So many experts had refused to work on restoring the country’s most important piece of art _because of damn ghosts of all things_. It was just so utterly absurd.

She was now looking at him with a mischievous smile.

“You know, all those who came here before you said that, too.”

She laughed before blowing out the lamps and turning the flashlight back on. They walked back until the first corridor and until they reached the room he was to sleep in. 

“Well, it’s time for me to leave! You can keep the flashlight, I know my way back and I bet you’ll need it more than me. However you should get used to the lamps, the sooner the better. If you need anything or have any questions, you have my number, please do not hesitate to call me!”

She left with the same brisk pace that she had carried when they first entered the building. Exhausted from the eventful day, he fell asleep the moment he hit the bed.

  
  


His first day went well. While being located in a room with no windows had definitely helped the mural’s preservation, it turned to be a challenge when working on it. He managed to let in some natural light by opening the doors to both the royal chambers and the small garden at the same time, but he assumed he’d still need to use the lamps for a good part of the day.

In other circumstances, he would have proper lighting equipment, maybe a few assistants to help him, as well as direct support and guidance from the museum. He couldn’t understand how he didn’t notice any of this before, but everything about this project was highly irregular. 

There was no way he would quit though, so he just accepted the situation as it was.

Before even touching the mural, he had to exhaustively examine it and take note of every crack and stain on it, and then make a plan on how to approach the restoration. He thankfully had already researched previous studies on samples about wall materials and paint composition that would save him quite a lot of time.

One afternoon, he was trying to figure out if the dark spot on the young prince’s sleeve was an intentional shadow or a moisture stain when a deep voice startled him out of his entrancement.

“Ridiculous.”

He turned around to find a man leaning up against the back wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his expression severe. A long braid of dark hair fell over his shoulder, and his amber eyes shone against the dimness of the room.

He wore an elaborated blue waistcoat with silver embroidery over a silky white shirt, high waisted navy pants and black leather boots that went up to his mid-thigh. At his waist, a belt held a scabbard, the luxurious hilt of his sword hinting at this being more of an accessory than an actual fighting weapon.

Just one look at his appearance —the exact same one as the man depicted in the last section of the mural— and there was no doubt that he was no other than Duke Felix Hugo Fraldarius in the flesh.

Well, maybe not exactly in the flesh, as he could clearly and literally _see through him_. 

“Just nonsensical. Who needs such a thing painted on a dull, narrow room that nobody ever uses?”

He just stood there frozen, notebook still in his hands, staring at a man that had been now dead for over 800 years. 

“This is nothing but a waste of time and resources, if you ask me. But by the goddess, he is so stubborn.”

The man, _the Duke_ , was now directly looking at him and obviously talking to him. But he just could not find the words to reply back.

“Um…”

“Oh, so you can actually speak? I thought I would end up just standing here and talking to myself for the rest of the day.”

“I- yes. I speak.”

“How eloquent.” The Duke turned his gaze back to the mural. “This room is also too humid. Not enough fresh air.”

Well, he wasn’t going to argue that.

“You better be good at this. Waste or not, if you’re going to work on it you better do an outstanding job.”

Well, that did it. Ghost or not, he wasn’t going to just stand there while someone questioned his skills.

“Of course I will. I’ve dedicated my life to study this mural, and I am confident in my abilities. There may be others more experienced than me, but I can assure you no one knows more about this piece than I do.”

He thought he saw a smirk on the Duke’s face, but it was probably the poor lighting playing tricks on him.

“Good. And I actually think that on the sleeve is just a darker stroke. But well, you are the expert, so you look at it.”

He went back to examine the spot again. Yeah, he was probably right.

“I think-

He turned around to find the place where the man had just been now empty. He was completely alone in the room, and only just now he started to process what had just happened. He suddenly felt sick, sweat dripping down his back, his hands shaking. He dropped the notebook and ran towards the door that led to the garden looking for some fresh air.

It was an ample terrace, with a long stone railing and beautiful views to the outside gardens. Since three of its sides were still enclosed inside the structure of the building, it was private enough. And almost every part of it was filled with all kinds of plants, flowers, and small bushes. It had also obviously been taken care of recently, as he could imagine this place wouldn’t have looked this good after being abandoned for so long. 

He stood there until his breathing went back to normal, and then some more after that.

  
  


After his encounter with the Duke, it was like suddenly the whole castle came back to life.

That night, as he was about to go to sleep, he came across a maid cleaning the oil lamps in the service corridor. When she noticed him, she just smiled, nodded at him, and went back to her business.

The next morning when he went to the kitchen to grab some breakfast from the tiny minifridge his gracious hosts had provided him with, he came across a middle aged woman wearing an apron, kneading bread on the counter. As it had happened the day before with the maid, she just smiled and nodded at him, and proceeded to ignore him after that. 

This pattern of encounters repeated itself with others such as a gardener, two stable boys, and at least half a dozen guards. 

None of the spirits seemed to have any malicious intent, they were just going about their day and cordially acknowledging him if they ever crossed paths with him. Looking at them, you wouldn’t even think they were all dead. Well except for the fact that they were all pretty much see-through.

After a week, he got used to their presence and he even started nodding back, or waving at them. It just seemed like the polite thing to do.

None of them seemed to want to, or maybe be able to talk, like the Duke had been. But his next ghostly conversation would come soon enough.

One evening, as he wrapped up his daily work and came back through the royal chambers, he found someone sitting in one of the armchairs placed in front of the fireplace. 

There was no need for him to wear fancy clothes to give a hint of who he was. He wore a simple white shirt and dark grey pants, and had no shoes on, his naked feet resting on the thick rug below him. But his shoulder-lenght blond hair and black eyepatch gave him away easily.

It was King Dimitri, who was currently sitting with a book in his lap and a cup of tea in his hand, seemingly enjoying a quiet moment by himself. As he stepped into the room, the King looked up and called out to him.

“Ah, there you are. Please join me, if you have some time to spare?

At this point, he was a little proud of how he’d managed to go about his daily life as if nothing strange was happening, living in an old castle full of dead people and still keeping his cool. He was not about to ruin that now. Well then.

“Of course.”

He sat in the opposite armchair, trying his best not to show how nervous he was.

“I must thank you for what you have accomplished with the mural so far. Your talent and dedication to it is quite apparent when looking at your current progress.”

“Thank you. I’ve always loved this mural, so it’s been like a dream come true for me to be able to work on it.”

“I can tell you do. It is certainly a wonderful work of art. Its creator was a good friend of mine. You actually remind me of him.”

The king smirked and sipped his tea, and he felt there was something being said there that he wasn’t getting.

“Felix is also quite fond of the mural. I heard you met him recently.”

He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. The King smiled at his reaction.

“He may groan and protest about it, but believe me when I say he cares fiercely about that mural. I am so glad he approved of you. I did not want to see him scaring you away like all the ones before you. Ah, those poor men…”

The King shook his head.

… so that explains that.

“Back then, when I gifted it to him, I remember finding him there every night, just staring at the wall. When I went to fetch him before bed, he would just grumble a little bit, and bring up some issue he had with it. And yet, even with all his complaints and criticisms, he kept going into that room every day, scrutinizing it and admiring every detail.”

The King laughed, and he could not help but smile as well.

“That is why I am so thankful for your hard work. Please know that it means a great deal to me, and to Felix.”

That night he left the chambers feeling a little ecstatic. It’s not everyday that one meets a King, much less one as famous and loved as Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. And not only he praised his work, but he also seemed to be a great guy.

He enthusiastically waved to every ghost servant he passed on his way down to his room, wearing a big smile on his face. They smiled back, as if they knew the reason for his joy. They probably did.

Most of the time, his encounters with the ghosts were pretty reciprocal. They looked at him, acknowledged him, and even if minimally, interacted with him. The Duke and later the King even had maintained conversations with him.

But in other instances, he came across displays that were more like a recreation of some random scene from the past that suddenly occurred in front of him. Most of these usually consisted of ghosts interacting with each other, like a group of guards hanging out in the courtyard, or the full kitchen staff working on what seemed to be a huge banquet.

But the best one happened one day early in the morning, when a bout of insomnia had him up earlier than usual. He decided to just start his work already, and headed for the royal chambers. When he reached the mural room, he found the door to the garden wide open. 

He made sure to properly close it every night, so he knew it wasn’t likely this had been his fault. When he reached the door, it was then that he saw them.

Right in the middle of the garden, in a small spot devoid of plants, King Dimitri and Duke Felix stood facing each other. The Duke’s appearance was quite different from the last time he saw him. While that day he’d looked all proper and dressed up, now he wore an oversized white shirt —obviously not his— that reached down to his thighs, and seemingly nothing else. His dark hair was loose and disheveled, and there was a shy smile and a faint blush on his face, not unlike the young boy with scratched fingers he used to be.

His arms were resting on the King’s shoulders, who in exchange was holding him him by the waist. The King wore dark pants but no shirt, and smiled fondly at his companion. Surely many things have changed since they were both two tiny boys playing in a field and crafting flower crowns, but it seems that all the important things have stayed just the same. 

Giving them some privacy, he goes back inside and starts getting ready for his work day. As he looks again at the mural, for the first time he can finally understand the true emotions behind its creation. Many months will still pass until he can completely restore it to its old glory, especially since he is doing it all on his own. But he isn’t at all worried about the time it will take, and he can’t help but smile at the thought instead. He may be stuck living and working in a haunted castle, but it’s really not so bad.

  
  
  


**1191, Fhirdiad Castle.**

Dimitri entered the royal chambers as silently as possible. He had lost track of time while working in his office once again, and being this late, Felix should be asleep already. 

He notices their bed is empty and well made, unused since morning. Dimitri smiles to himself and looks at the corner of the room, where a little sliver of light filters through the cracks of a slightly open door. Behind it, he finds Felix leaning up against the wall, staring at the mural, something that’s become like a routine of sorts these days. 

It’s been five years since the end of the war, and also five years since they exchanged vows in a small chapel, accompanied by their closest friends and allies. Their union isn’t official, it cannot be just yet, but it’s not a secret either. 

With their fifth anniversary approaching, Dimitri had wanted to give something special to Felix, a gift that could at least come a bit close to express what their relationship meant to him. And so the mural happened.

It wasn’t easy to keep Felix away from the small room that gave access to their garden for the months that took to create the mural, but after Dimitri told Felix it was an anniversary surprise and asked him not to look, Felix never made an attempt to enter. He did complain about it the whole time, though.

When the gift was finally revealed, Felix just stared at it and then cried for an entire hour. Dimitri just silently cuddled him through the whole thing, and afterwards Felix made him promise to never speak of it again.

  
  


“It’s late, my love. Come to bed, we have an early morning.”

“Was the blushing really necessary?”

“...”

Dimitri looked at the point in the wall where Felix's eyes were fixated. The scene with them as children in the flower field. He fought a smile and tried his best to keep a neutral expression.

“Well, you did blush quite a lot back then. I wanted it to be as authentic as possible.”

“And the flower crown thing. Who would put that on a wall? And how do you even remember that anyways? It was ages ago.”

“I cherish every moment I have spent by your side, Felix. I could not forget any of them.”

Felix groaned loudly. 

“And, here.” Felix pointed at the second section, with them sparring in their student years at Garreg Mach.

“I know I was not in a good place, I acknowledge that. But I look _feral_ . I was not _that angry_. Was I?”

“Well…”

Dimitri decided not to finish that sentence.

“And, this one.” Felix stood in front of the third section. Taking place during the war, it depicted them fighting together, back to back.

“Actually, this one isn’t so bad.”

Dimitri could not hold back his smile anymore.

“And here we are.”

They stood together in front of the final section, in which they appeared together and smiling in front of the old chapel. 

Dimitri closed the distance between them, and placed his hand on Felix’s back.

“Ignatz did a wonderful job with all of them, but I must say this one is my favorite. The day of our marriage. You look so beautiful here, my love.”

Felix groaned again, and put his face in his hands.

“Why are you always so embarrassing?”

“Am I not allowed to call my husband beautiful? It is only the truth, after all.” He held Felix closer, and looked at him.

“Felix, if you really dislike the mural, we can-”

“No, it’s not that. It’s not that I dislike it.” He lowered his hands, and turned back to Dimitri.

“I think… it’s the opposite. I think I just like it too much. I keep looking at it, and I see all those memories, and I think...” Felix sighed. 

“... all this time. I have loved him all this time. And he has loved me just as much.” Felix closed his eyes before continuing.

“And it's a little overwhelming, sometimes. In a good way. But still overwhelming.”

Dimitri held him closer, bringing his hand to Felix’s face, and pulled his chin up gently until he opened his eyes. They looked at each other’s eyes for a second, before Dimitri closed the distance between them and kissed him. Felix buried his hands on Dimitri’s hair and brought him even closer, a single tear finally escaping his eye.

When they parted, Dimitri brought their foreheads together and spoke softly, their faces still so close Felix could feel Dimitri’s breath with every movement of his lips.

“Of course I have loved you all along. And I am overjoyed that my feelings could reach you through this gift. But oh, my love, the best is not here in this wall. This is just the beginning, and our best is still yet to come. Because just as I have loved you until now, I will keep loving you even more intensely, for many years to come.”

Felix looked at him in shock, then smirked.

“How many years?”

Dimitri laughed 

“Forever.”

“Forever? Even after we die?”

“Yes, even after we die.”

“And how will you achieve that, exactly? Do you plan on becoming a ghost? I thought you weren’t fond of those.”

Dimitri laughed even harder, “Well, I am sure we would be alright. I do not plan on becoming the kind of ghost that haunts people. I would just be happy with having a quiet existence here, with you, for as long as I am allowed.”

Felix shook his head, and looked back at the wall.

“Also, tell me, how do you expect me to ever live up to this? I can’t think of any gift that could give you that would ever compare to this.”

“You do not have to worry about that. Having you by my side is the greatest gift I could ever receive. I need nothing else.”

“By the goddess, Dimitri, I told you to stop being embarrassing, didn’t I.

“Come to bed with me, and I will stop.”

“Oh I have heard that one before, and it didn’t go quite like it, then.”

“Maybe this time it will be, you must have faith.”

“I don’t thi- DIMITRI!”

Dimitri picked him up and cradled him in his arms, and carried him back to their bedroom. Even though he had initially wanted to go to bed early, surely the recent revelations were reason enough for a change of plans. They would probably need to cancel a couple early meetings, but surely they can afford to sleep in once in a while. They have a whole eternity ahead of them, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I bet you can tell I know nothing at all about restoration except what I was able to learn during a 20 minute google search, eh? haha. So sorry about any inconsistencies that may have caused. I guess just focus on the dimilix and roll with it (♡´艸`).
> 
> Oh right, you can find me on twitter at [dimablaiddyd](https://twitter.com/dimablaiddyd/)! I really haven’t used the account much yet, since I’m quite shy on twitter for some reason, but I’m trying to get better at it! lol. So feel free to come talk to me if you wish ♡


End file.
